# Help! Can anyone tell me what these are???



## OglalaDiver (Oct 8, 2015)

Ok, Ive got a buddy who's a well known comedian (No, I won't give his or his buddies names). He gave me these this afternoon and told me that he's had them in one of his humidors for approx 10 years. He received them from another well known comedian who originally purchased them in the late 50's/early 60's and had them kept in his walk-in since purchase. My biggest question is, what are they? All Ive been able to find is a web page selling the bands for $2 each LOL When I got home, I decided to give one a shot. Smelled great, nice even burn. Tasted like a very rich tobacco, leather, maybe some toasted nut of some-sort.


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## SeanTheEvans (Dec 13, 2013)

Looks like they are cigars

More specifically, Cuban ones

to be even more particular, Old Cuban ones


but it seems like you've already figured that out- what more are you looking for?


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

I'll take a WAG and say those are _Clear Havanas_... cigars made in the US with Cuban tobacco, probably in Tampa (pre-embargo or just after). It was a huge industry with hundreds of brands, and accounted for a massive part of the US cigar market back then.


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## coachdread (Apr 25, 2015)

SeanTheEvans said:


> Looks like they are cigars
> 
> More specifically, Cuban ones
> 
> ...


I would even go so far as to call them Cuban Gold...


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## OglalaDiver (Oct 8, 2015)

Curmedgeonista.......that sounds plausible. I also just found out that they were originally purchased in the Caribbean (NOT Cuba)....he thinks St. Maarten.


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

OglalaDiver said:


> Curmedgeonista.......that sounds plausible. I also just found out that they were originally purchased in the Caribbean (NOT Cuba)....he thinks St. Maarten.


That's the Netherlands side, yes? I wouldn't be surprised to find they were making Dutch cigars from Cuban tobacco before the Castro regime cut-off bulk tobacco exports (though I have no specific knowledge of that). But, with the brand name (apparently) in English, I'm still voting Tampa-made, maybe NYC (another center for cigar production back then, I think).

Considering the size and the shape of the head, I'd guess machine made. But, that's not necessarily a bad thing when they're made with primo tobacco and real leaf binders and wrappers.

I'd be interested to know if it looks like long filler or not. I wouldn't want you to waste such a rare find, so maybe try cutting open just a butt after you've finished one.


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## SeanTheEvans (Dec 13, 2013)

If purchased originally in the late 50's early 60's, there was no embargo at the time, and thus I wouldn't imagine many non-cuban cigars attempting to claim the name, such as happened post-embargo. Could be wrong, but that's where my guess came from.

edit: apparently someone is much more familiar with world history than I- see below


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## OglalaDiver (Oct 8, 2015)

Well, just took Jack's advice and cut the nub of the one I had earlier, open. Not long filler.


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## Sigaar (Sep 19, 2014)

OglalaDiver said:


> Well, just took Jack's advice and cut the nub of the one I had earlier, open. Not long filler.


How was it?!


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## Champagne InHand (Sep 14, 2015)

Interesting. Sint Maarten is a great place but a pain if traveling there by cruise ship. You have to disembark from the ship and take smaller vessels into the port. You also want to stick to the Dutch side of the island as the French taxi drivers often blockade buses from the Dutch side. When last there we had a whole load of folks with a ruined day because of French protests. However that's a very French thing to have strikes. 

While visiting the lesser Antilles and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuban tobacco was everywhere. Same as in the Caymans. They are usually the same price if not lower than some DR and Nicaraguan brands. Cuban rum was the least expensive while staying a week in Grand Cayman for a week of offshore swimming. Such good memories. 

Surprising that the filler was short cuts in those but if they smoke well then no big deal. Things were done a lot different back before the revolution. US business investment was at an all time high as many had hoped Havana to be a better version of what Las Vegas was back then. The business could have moved over to San Juan like a lot of the rum business did as well as some hotels moved there. 

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a small attempt to have Cuban tobacco rolled into cigars. Such a big time for change throughout the Caribbean. I think much of the New York City factories had plenty of Puerto Rican employees. 

Much of the small islands have banded together to fight off attempts by the USA to curtail Internet gambling and even a banking system that was more stable. CIBC is a good bank in the islands but Antigua over extended and had an economic crisis that saw plenty of people lose a lot of money. Way back when I was looking at trying to get dual citizenship in Antigua. I had quite a few people wanting to get large boats and Antigua had a policy much like Nevis and St. Eustace, where if you invested $100K for a period of 10 years with a guaranteed interest rate of 10%, you would be issued a passport from Antigua. This was about 10-11 years ago. I really tried to get my wife to go to Monserrat after the Soufriere Hills, volcanic eruption wiped out much of that island. The islands displaced government were looking to have 70 people in businesses from Healthcare and such try to resettle on the island. Most people evacuated and many stayed in Antigua. My wife is a nurse and I was a Respiratory Therapist. It wasn't meant to be as we sailed past Monseratt as that volcano remained active for far too long. My wife took one look as we cruised on by and rejected the idea permanently. 

We saw Ron White two years back. He was in Rochester in Winter, for some ungodly reason but he smokes loads of cigars. I think he burned through 2 sticks while rambling in the stage with a few glasses of Scotch. He just talked about hanging out a lot with Dr. Phil in the Mediterranean. He also just wanted to get back to his bus and get baked. He invited anybody who was game to come on back. It was just him and his wife, who was selling T-Shirts. Probably a driver/security guy. Funny how the police didn't seem to care at all. After all it was February, snow everywhere and it was a relatively small theater. He didn't really have a well planned out act. He just got lit up and smoked Cuban cigars. A decent guy but a basic good ol' boy. After his run ins with NYC police and techie tater salad incident, I was very surprised to see him North of the Mason-Dixon Line in Winter. It was his only tour stop up North too. 

Anyhow I've gone scatterbrained. The islands actually beat the USA in world court with the ruling saying the USA could not seize bank accounts or stop people from banking in the Lesser Antilles, specifically in CIBC. They have branches in Ontario. I had a friend that was looking to diversify. He instead got his Irish citizenship restored which gave him access to banking in the Isle of Man. 

Crazy world for sure. 

I'm sure if the guy gave you the sack he had better or was just being nice. It's not unheard of with people in comedy or show biz. Like everybody at heart we are all just regular people in some right places at the right time. 

Unfortunate that I was with my wife at the wrong place, wrong time. The volcano had one more major eruption but then they got things back in order, now that they new where any future lava and mud flow would run. They had just built a new hospital before the eruption and it was a total loss along with most of the Capital city. 

What shall we have? An '82 Margaux! Is it any good? Good....?, It will make you believe in God!


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## JDom58 (Jul 27, 2015)

He's great, OK two quick quotes from RW:

"I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade... And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party"

"I've got a great cigar collection - it's actually not a collection, because that would imply I wasn't going to smoke every last one of 'em"

And my favorite "You can't fix stupid"


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## LSUTigersFan (Sep 12, 2015)

Logic...I love it!!


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## stunna (Dec 16, 2015)

Can I buy a few from you?


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## jmcqueen (Dec 22, 2015)

i believe that curmudgeonista nailed it with "Clear Havanas". cigars were from the late 50's to early 60's and could be a hit for resale if you could just find an old matching box to put them in. they would say habana if they were manufactured there...but they weren't. they say cuba because they were rolled somewhere else (US, the islands, or some other cigar country) using cuban tobacco. nice score. might want to nap them until you get them to 65%+ in the humi. i bet they will be good.


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## Rick Hendeson (Apr 8, 2014)

Shitsticks


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